The present invention generally relates to broadcast and multicast services for wireless communication networks, and more particularly, autonomous soft hand-off by mobile stations between base stations while receiving a broadcast stream.
The 3rd Generation (3G) wireless communication networks provide mobile users wireless access to packet data networks, such as the Internet. Many Internet applications and services, once available only to users at fixed terminals, are now being made available via wireless communication networks to mobile users. Services such as real-time streaming video and music, and on-line interactive gaming, are just a few examples of services now being provided via wireless networks to mobile users. The demand for such services challenges standardization bodies to develop 3G standards capable of providing high rate data transmission over the radio interface between the access network and mobile users.
The broadcast/multicast service (BCMCS) provides the ability to transmit media content to multiple users simultaneously over a shared forward link channel. A BCMCS stream, referred to herein as a broadcast stream, is transmitted at a fixed rate and at a constant power. Mobile station handoff is performed autonomously by the mobile stations. To improve system performance, it is desirable to support autonomous soft handoff between sectors in a wireless communication network transmitting the same broadcast stream. Soft handoff of mobile stations receiving broadcast streams requires coordination of broadcast parameters between the serving base stations in each sector. Further, there needs to be a mechanism to notify the mobile station which sectors the mobile station may soft combine.